Climate change is the most widespread & complex problem humanity has ever faced! There is no time to waste and we need to turn green talk into profound green action. This is the intention of the GREEN TIMES.

The main purpose of the Flufftail Festival, held in Joburg earlier this month, is to teach people of all ages about the importance of conserving water, wetlands and waterbirds.
On 8 and 9 February 2019 BirdLife South Africa, in partnership with Rand Water (Water Wise), Toyota, the Rare Finch Conservation Group and Joburg City Parks and Zoo, hosted the annual Flufftail … [Read more...]

Climate change and pollution is a global issue and has a significant impact on the ocean. Conserving marine and coastal ecosystems is essential. Global issues tend to bring together like-minded projects spanning across continents. One such project is the Bremen-Durban Marine Environmental Education Network also known as Ocean Champs.
This project is jointly implemented by … [Read more...]

Valentine’s Day is here and many of us already have plans in place to make our loved-ones feel special. But it’s also an opportunity to spread the love still further to causes close to your heart, with romantic accessories that endure long beyond the month of love.
If you’re looking for a way to literally wear your heart on your sleeve and show how much you care about the … [Read more...]

The City of Cape Town is ready to deal with an invasive beetle that poses a serious threat to trees in the metropole and surrounding areas. The City’s Recreation and Parks Department, together with the Invasive Species Unit, have put operational plans in place to deal with the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) which has invaded and damaged thousands of trees in other parts of … [Read more...]

The City of Cape Town and the National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) have received reports regarding the harassment of an elephant seal moulting on Fish Hoek beach.
They advised residents and visitors on Wednesday that this is a natural process and asked that all beachgoers respect the seal and give the animal space while it is ashore, staying at least 10 metres … [Read more...]

Wild Oceans is excited to be taking part in what will see more than a thousand people spanning 6 continents joining in on a worldwide search for tiny plastic pellets (nurdles) in the first Great Nurdle Hunt taking place from the 8th till the 17th of February.
The hunt is taking place on 6 continents in over 16 countries, with more than 60 organisations and 170 individual … [Read more...]

The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has lodged an objection against Pioneer Hi-Bred’s application for field trials of RNAi /gene silencing (DP-566113-9) GM maize, since the risks to the health of the environment and humans is, as yet, unknown.
Just as most people were going on holiday, on 21 December 2018, Pioneer Hi-Bred advertised in the Citizen newspaper its … [Read more...]

A team of dedicated volunteer advanced divers embarked on a citizen science project over December and January at Protea Banks (KwaZulu-Natal South Coast), in the hopes of gathering valuable data linked to the endangered scalloped hammerhead shark.
The project, an initiative of WILDOCEANS a leading NGO, set out to count a reported aggregation of scalloped hammerhead sharks in … [Read more...]

The Five Freedoms for Animals is a set of basic principles of animal welfare that are endorsed by the World Organisation for Animal Health and form part of the United Nation’s One Health programme.
Social scientists around the world suggest that loss of empathy is at the root of our troubled and violent world.
Cambridge University’s Professor of Developmental … [Read more...]

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has admitted 15 new natural sites to the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas – the first global standard recognising best practice in protected areas. Sites in Egypt, France, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru and the United Arab Emirates received the certification today at the ongoing UN Biodiversity … [Read more...]

In January 2018, environmental consultant ERM (Environmental Resources Management) submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application on behalf of Italian oil company Eni seeking environmental authorisation to drill up to six deep water wells offshore of the East Coast of South Africa (Block ER236) in water depths up to 3000m. On 17 September ERM notified interested … [Read more...]

The incomprehensible judgement handed down by the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday morning dismissed with costs the application by Sabelo Dladla, the Global Environmental Trust (GET) and Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO). This will not go unchallenged.
In essence, the applicants approached the High Court when their attorney found the mine had … [Read more...]

Five intrepid open water swimmers have conquered seven of the estuaries in the Eastern Cape to raise awareness around the poor state of our country’s rivers and to highlight the urgent need to restore them. The athletes set off from the mouth of the Kromme Rivier in St Francis Bay on Saturday 14 October and completed their final 2017 swim at the mouth of the Nahoon River in … [Read more...]